We're on our way home, so this will be one of the last posts. We may do one on our re-entry process (with friends, families and the kittens) and maybe some final thoughts on the trip by each of us.

But, by the time we land at O'Hare Airport (after 9 hours in Economy; more on that in a bit), these will be the final numbers on the trip:

25 Weeks
22 Countries
58 Cities (30 stay-overs, 28 visits of lunch or more)
53,000+ Miles traveled overall
3,600+ Miles driving in Europe
25 Flights
18 Hotel stays
12 Housing rentals (4 apartments, 4 houses, 2 villas, 1 chateau and 1 houseboat)
3 Cross-country rail service trains
7 Metropolitan subway systems
2 Boat taxi's
7 Hop-On, Hop-Off buses

And what did we see...?

Evita's tomb and Iguazu Falls in Argentina, the world's tallest building and the Palm Islands in Dubai, the 21st Century African Union and 19th Century countryside in Ethiopia, the slums and skyscrapers of Mumbai, Gandhi's final footsteps in Delhi, the Taj Mahal, the turtles of Sri Lanka, the Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Tokyo subways, the Hiroshima Peace Museum, and Mt. Fuji in Japan, the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens, the blue-domed churches in Santorini, Swedish harbors, a Bavarian Beer Hall and the BMW Museum in Munich, the Olympic ski village in the Alps in Innsbruck, a Villa and winery in Tuscany, the Canals of Venice, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the F1 Races in Monaco, the Cannes Film Festival plus Provence and the 'South of France', Tapas and the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, a Chateau in Bordeaux, The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Louvre in Paris, the E.U. Parliament in Brussels, the canals, Anne Frank Museum and Pot coffee shops in Amsterdam, the London Tower, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben..and even the Harry Potter Train station in England, plus the original British castle in Scotland.

Phew.

What else did we see? Thousands and thousands and thousands of people, lots of dogs being walked, cats loose on the prowl, cows in fields, streets and houses - and a ton of sheep in Scotland. Plus, small grocery stores, restaurants and out-of-the-way places with real locals not employed to cater to tourists.

But the most important number is five, as in the number in our family that made it home safe and sound and in one piece (hopefully true as we are still in route). Sometimes at night on this trip when I had a hard time sleeping, I would lay awake still not believing we actually had the guts, or were dumb enough, to try this. :)

I'm glad we did, though, and I'm glad Suzanne inspired us all to do this!

- Mike

P.S. Oh, and the cost? Can't say specifically here, but less than most people would guess, and in reality a lot less than many would guess. How did we manage the costs? I give Suzanne 110% of the credit for being an amazing discount-seeker online (not quite as good as her sister Stephanie, but pretty darn good), always finding the cheapest hotel room, flight and apartment. In a few places we had to bite-the bullet circumstantially, but 90% of the time it was mid-level hotels, off-hour flights and middle seats. And of all the things we were proudest about our kids (in addition to learning how to exchange currency rates, and read subway maps for transfers) was their unprovoked input many times when they would say things like "We don't need to spend too much money here, we'll just split a hamburger". Or, "We really don't need to spend money on this souvenir". Along the way, they all became good stewards of the budget without us ever asking. We were thrilled.

P.S.S. Obviously we had a great time and would recommend "extended family travel" for educational purposes for any family. Believe it or not I think the biggest challenge for many/some isn't financial resources to go away for longer than the typically American 7-10 days, but coordinating the time off from work and other commitments. We feel beyond lucky to have been able to make all of this for the amount of time that we did, and like many of the Europeans we met on this trip, believe that extended family travel is an important aspect to really seeing things beyond your own backyard and learning to be global citizens.

A BIG THANK YOU from both of us to everyone who directly or indirectly supported us back home; you guys made this possible! And know that we all look forward to hearing about your Spring Break and Summer vacation trips too!

Wow, that went by fast.  Are we really going home tomorrow? 

A few things I will miss:

1. Spending 24/7 with my kids and husband
2. Sleeping in
3. Staying up late
4. Not doing the dishes
5. Going down to the hotel bar 3-4 nights a week for a drink with aforementioned husband
6. People watching
7. Walking everywhere
8. Not cleaning the house
9. Exploring
10. FFF (Forced Family Fun)


I few things I won't miss (at least not right away):

1. Skim milk in my coffee
2. My luggage
3. Complete loss of personal space
4. Big cities
5. Eating out
6. Planes
7. Trains
8. Listening to my kids complain
9. Carrying my passport
10. FFF (

- Suzanne


Last day in London and last day of the trip, so we tried to squeeze in a few "last" things...more Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Banksides, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the Tate Museum of Modern Art and Piccadilly Circus. Whew. A few more crappy meals on the road, then pack-up and decide what to throw away in order to make room for a few souvenirs!

Cheap seats and all middles rows for 9-hours, but at least it's direct.

We'll see you tomorrow!

- Mike

I have always loved Scotland and all things Scottish. I don't remember when it started or why, but I think the Three Stooges might have had something to do with it. Or maybe I was born here in a past life...?

When I first came to London 20-years ago, I had to 'answer the call' to visit in Scotland, so I rented a car in Edinburgh (Edin-burra) and drove up to the Highlands, the Isle of Skye and Glasgow and back over. Now, during our final stop in London on this trip, I really wanted to come back. The family is spent, but I begged and pleaded (and whined) and up we came. It is a nice four-hour ride on a high-speed train looking out on green fields, sheep and the seaside. I'll consider this my Father's Day gift - thanks everyone for making the journey for me!

And it is just as beautiful as I remembered, if not better, and we experienced a rare dry, 90-degree day here!

As we were only to be here a wee 36-hours, we only had time for the hardcore tourist stuff: The Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, New Town and Scotch. Scotland is an amazing country and I just wanted to rekindle the connection I have with this country, and to give Suzanne and the kids a taste of this oft overlooked gem.

No one in our family has ever seen Braveheart all the way through, (which is good is you hate Mel like we do), but the kids have seen Disney's Brave. The fiery warrior and military tradition is very strong in Scotland and that is evident in the displays at the Edinburgh Castle. Plus, what other nationality throws telephone poles and boulders for sport?

Surprisingly, the one thing we have seen very little of here is evidence of debate on the run-up to the key Scottish referendum vote to separate from the United Kingdom, which we were expecting to see more of. Maybe more so in the non-touristy neighborhoods? Listening to the Pro's and Con's we can't imagine it is a good thing, nor will pass. Watch the news as the vote is in early September.

What we did see by surprise was a tartan/crest shop claiming (in two different signs) that they had either 400,000 or 4 million family names on file from which to make your own tartan and crest. Now I did see a Rodriquez on the wall and a sign that specifically said "Russian and Polish too", but somehow I doubted the clan Wychocki has it's own ancient crest. Kamp maybe. Or maybe we'll make our own up with a computer, baseball bat, motorcycle, sewing machine, etc., etc.

Everything in downtown Scotland is so old and historic, but surprisingly well preserved in this normally harsher climate. In Edinburgh, the "Old Town" is from the 1200's - 1600's, and "New Town" is a new, modern European city-center design from the 1700's when the city father's wanted to get away from just being a "fort/castle" city. There is even a bar here from the 1600's (with maybe a Scotch whiskey inside aged to match?). We didn't get out to the outer neighborhoods or suburbs, but I did last time and it is perfectly modern and American-esque (subdivisions, shopping malls and all) - but with 36 hours, we could only see the tourist areas!

Maddy says she (reluctantly) liked it here because their national animal is the unicorn! How can you not like that...or Maddy for that? Or the country that invented both golf and Scotch whiskey? Hoot mon, Ye kin hae yer shamrocks 'n' claddagh rings 'n' keep yer Ireland, ah will tak' th' thistle ony time!


- Mike

P.S. And speaking of taste, and also just as I remembered it 20-years ago, I really like the taste of haggis. I'm not just saying that for bragging rights, it is actually pretty good, especially if you like salty food like anchovies. It tastes like a combination of peppery sausage from Eastern Europe and heavily salted corned beef hash. Just don't Google how, and from what, it is made. Plus, I have funny tastes sometimes; for example I actually liked Shemp better than Curly!?! Anybody with me here on this? Or on haggis?

P.S.S. And on top of the million and one things I love about Suzanne (OK, a million and two now for coming to Scotland), she also is a fan of the Scotch whiskey, which we can both share after a long day. Funny though, here they don't call it Scotch (except for in the tourist shops), in local bars they just call it whiskai'.

Lastly, and definitely NSFW and NOT FOR THE KIDS...here is a clip of Robin Williams as a drunk Scotsman talking about his idea for 'inventing a new game called golf". It has lots and lots of F-bombs, so turn down the volume and enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSXMS8ABAAU

Let me just say that for those who have not read or seen the books or movies of Harry Potter you will not get this at all.

Yesterday me and my mom went to the actual set of the Harry Potter film series and it was awesome!

They had almost every single prop and set that was in the movie. They had Umbrage's office (Hogwarts teacher), Hagrids hut, The Great Hall, Diagon Alley and lots more. Plus for each set they had manicans wear the actual costumes like Hagrid's and Umbrage's.

Plus you can get a cup of Butterbeer near 4 Privet Drive. It's really cool and exciting. A really cool part was the Creature Shop were you saw all of the masks that the goblins wore and saw the real (mechanical) Buckbeak!

It really cool. I had a lot of fun

- Maddy

It's the last week and we are all running on fumes. Is it the warm weather? The kids knowing their friends are out on summer vacation and having "normal" fun? Have we just hit our threshold for being around each other all of the time?

London - incredible culture, museums, history, architecture et al, and all in danger of losing their charms on travelers too tired to appreciate them. What we really need to see (if not our own beds) is not more old buildings, but some old and dear friends.

And with that in mind, we found just the tonic, (and not the tonic to go with our British Gin) and not just once, but twice, in jolly old England! In addition to rekindling our long-standing love for the grossly touristy "Hop On Hop Off" bus system, we also had the pleasure of rekindling two state-side friendships. One from San Francisco and one from Chicago. One family right here in the city and one in the suburbs. Both visits were "lovely", and one made for a nice train ride out out town.

Plus, we also did some touristy things the first couple of days and got a taste of what we want to see on our last day in London (and of the trip) after we return from Scotland!

- Mike

P.S. The most interesting thing I learned on the bus tour was that many of the favorite tourist sites like Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey aren't even really in London proper. They are in the city of Westminster (called 'the town') which next to London (called 'the city'). It was an outgrowth of London "out in the countryside" so the monarchy could get away from the filth of London.

From Wikipedia:
The City of Westminster describes an area no more than 1 mile (1.6 km) from Westminster Abbey and Palace of Westminster north of the Thames.[2] Its name derives from the west Minster, or monastery church, west of the City of London's St Paul's. The area has been the seat of the government of England for almost a thousand years. The name is also used for the larger City of Westminster which is one of the relatively homogeneously sized divisions of the capital (London boroughs); and, since 1965, has included the former boroughs of Marylebone and Paddington.

P.S.S. Suzanne found a cute (and cheap) London row house for rent. It is in a neighborhood like Bucktown, which means about 1/3 are already renovated and gorgeous, and the other 2/3's are waiting their turns. It is fun and walking up and down to the 5-levels makes us feel like real Londoners!


I love London. I was lucky enough to spend a week here about 20 years ago while in college. I remember finding the city so easy to get around and everything about it just clicked for me. I was so excited to get back with Mike and the kids to show them what I loved about it. Plus Maddy had picked London to explore all things Harry Potter. (More to come on that in a later post)

The good thing is that London is still just as fabulous as I remember. Easy to navigate, everyone speaks our language and there is so much to see. The bad news is that we are exhausted and counting down the days until we get home. Luckily, London will be a quick and easy trip for the kids if/when they ever want to return.

As Mike has mentioned we have shortened our time in London a bit so it's meant less sightseeing and less time with friends. We were lucky enough to have a great dinner with our friends from San Francisco. It's been years since we have seen Brian and Melinda and their kids. Now that the kids are all grown up they got a chance to get to know each other. Mind you they did it in the virtual world of a Minecraft realm, but they found a way to connect. Makes a parent proud.

Head out to the suburbs and there is a bit more space. The Murrays from Hinsdale have only been back in London for a year but it was lovely to catch up and see how much the kids have grown. Hannah is a full on teenager and Alec looks like one. Very handsome. And nothing brings kids that barely remember each other together like a backyard trampoline. Nothing.

Thanks for Sam and Malcolm for the great hospitality and the hours of jumping fun in Farnham. Mike and I are betting that any list of favorite memories will include the Murray's trampoline. Now, how do we get one of these in Hinsdale???

-Suzanne

I think it is both unfair and greatly exaggerated that the rest of the world believes the U.S. is not a soccer/football country. But I guess since all of our stereotypes and prejudices die-hard, American may have to wear this label for a bit longer.

However, having traveled the world during the run-up to this massive, once every four-years event, one can definitely see where we lack the national pride and enthusiasm for football that most of the world espouses. The term "religion" comes up frequently when discussing football in these countries, and I believe they mean it, believe it, and most importantly, feel it.

So what has been fun for Suzanne and me (without the distraction of MLB, NHL and NBA) in reading and keeping up with the on- and off-field stories, dramas and predictions in every country we go to. I guess we'll be on the bandwagon for the 2014 go-round and have to pick which of the countries (in addition to the U.S.) that we will root for!?!

We finally know who Lionel Messi is, and why he is both revered and hated.

It is interesting though that when the World Cup was hosted in the U.S. in 1994 and some preliminary games played at Soldier Field, I did go down to watch the kick-off parade down Michigan Ave., and even with how amazing that was, I didn't get the bug then. Nor when one of my largest clients was adidas during the 2006 and 2010 games (shout out to Mr. Buglio) - and they own the World Cup.

But this time around, being in many of the countries and seeing the excitement build, I have just a little curiosity.

Maybe tomorrow night we'll try to find a neighborhood London pub and watch the local fans watch their team play Italy. Maybe some hooligans will show up and mix it up a little?

BTW, here's a great link to the odds by country. Click-on both the Group Stage and Knock Out Stage buttons:

http://fivethirtyeight.com/interactives/world-cup/

- Mike

P.S. As we know there are a lot of soccer fans in Hinsdale, if anyone is having a World Cup party this summer (yes, you Tom Counts), put us on your invitation list. We have earned the right now to drink beer at anytime on the world clock.

P.S.S. And speaking of national stereotypes, I think we have seen a few die and a few other new ones on this trip. I do not believe that people from the U.S. are the most hated as tourist anymore. The term "Ugly Americans" has definitely been replaced by "Difficult Russians" tourist and we have seen that people are pretty universally suspicious of them. And Chinese tourist groups...don't get us started. Let's just say you do not want to be in the middle of, or especially behind, them. And as for the French being arrogant if you don't speak French? I think that one is dying out just a bit too and we only encountered a few snippy Frenchmen who didn't want to make the effort to help us out linguistically. For the most part they were as warm as anywhere we went.

Lastly, here is a hilarious video from John Oliver on FIFA and the World Cup (with a nice dig at the U.S. in the opening). Parts are a little risque.

http://gawker.com/john-oliver-explains-how-fifa-will-ruin-the-world-cup-a-1588022581

Here's a special birthday wish to my Mom, Rita Ann Wychocki. Today is her 80th birthday!

Born in the Depression, raised in WWII, a lover of 50's dance music (and now her iPad). Mother of three, Grandmother of seven, and Great Grandmother on one! Wife, lover and dance partner to her best friend, Joe Wychocki.

As kids, she swore at us like a sailor, but taught us to always work hard (yet humbly), volunteer for duties that no one else wants to do, and always, always be polite and mind your manners. And also that every person on this planet had the same right to be here as you do, so treat them with respect and exactly how you would want to be treated. She taught us all of the most important things in life.

Grammie, we are sorry we can not be there for this special birthday, but hope you can feel our good vibes from across the pond! Save us a "night out on the town" when we get back!

Happy 80th Birthday!

Love,

Mike, Suzanne, Ben, Izzy and Maddy

P.S. If you are reading this and are so inclined, please send Grammie Wychocki an 80th birthday wishes:
ritawychocki@gmail.com

If I were an inwoner van Amsterdam, I would be slightly insulted to be called "the Venice of the North". While beautiful in its own "romantic style" way, I don't think Venice holds a candle to Amsterdam. It may be my straight-forward approach in life, and love of all things northern European, but the canals of Amsterdam are visually and technically amazing, far more practical than those in Venice, and fortunately still a functioning part of the city despite all of the tourists crawling around. Plus, with the narrow car and dedicated bike lanes, it is a vibrant place for multiple modes of transportation which facilitate real commerce and living, and not just tchochke shops.

A few basic facts on the city and semi-circular spider's web of canals:
- The city was founded around 1250 with the building of the Dam that gave it its name. ‘Aeme Stelle Redamme’ is Medieval Dutch for: ‘Dam in a Watery Area’.
- As a waterfront town, a few of the inlets were natural, however, over 90% of the waterways are man-made built in the 1600 and 1700's according to a concentric city plan popular in post Enlightenment-era Europe. Except with waterways and not streets!
- One of the three main canals is named Amstel (like the beer)
- The three main canals alone (which enabled all of the smaller attached channels) took 50 years to complete
- The first canals were dug for water management and defense. As the city expanded in the Middle Ages, successive defense moats ended up inside the walls and lost their military function. So they acquired an important new one: local transport of merchandise
- There are still over 100 Km of actual waterways inside the city limits
- Crossed by over 1,500 bridges
- Which intersect the land into over 90 islands
- Srprisingly, more than half of the original water in Amsterdam was lost to landfills to make more roads and parking for cars in the 1900's, but a full 25-percent of the city's surface still consists of navigable waterways. With 65 miles of ancient canals, Amsterdam is still the "most watery city in the world". Funny title.

The kids had a good time on the canal cruise because they got to sit in a boat and not walk around for the morning! I think they even absorbed some facts (like the amount of cars and bikes that fall in every year - see below). :)

- Mike

P.S. Two other interesting trivia points we learned today while on our canal boat tour: 1. About one car per week accidentally drives into one of the canals, and 2. Every year almost 10,000 bikes are drudged out. While that make sound like a great number, it s estimated that there are over 800,000 bikes in the city (more than actual residents), so maybe a little over 1% is actually low considering all of the beer and legal pot up here?!? .

Thank you Tonya Lawson for the tip about buying tickets for the Anne Frank House before we arrived in Amsterdam.  I acted on this tip immediately and purchased tickets several weeks ago so I could check that off my list, but in true Wychocki form I purchased the tickets prior to having the rest of our trip planned and it turned out that they would be for a day that we will now be in London. Luckily I was able to purchase another set of non-refundable tickets for a date when we would be in Amsterdam.  If you know of anyone headed this way that needs five tickets for June 15th send them my email.  It's on me.

It's been 30-years since I had read Ann Frank, The Diary of A Young Girl, but I remember how it moved me even then. I remember the book report vividly and even the pages of the sample diary that my Mom helped me 'burn' on our coil burner to make the pages look old.  I think I still have it.

Maddy has been reading of the Holocaust during our trip. Reading The Book Thief and seeing the movie in Buenos Aires, she also read most of Anne Frank until she lost the book somewhere in India. Izzy was brave enough to tour the Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany with us. Ben is absorbing it all in his own unique way that he will show us when he is ready. We thought visiting the Anne Frank House would be a good culmination for this aspect of our trip.

As promised we were able to bypass the wrap-around the corner, down the block, long line and get right in. Worth two sets of tickets for me.  We signed up for the Family Discussion and Tour that promised a 30-minute overview and Q & A about the museum then the tour. The discussion left a bit to be desired as I was hoping for someone with a bit more passion about the subject but the tour of the office building and Secret Annex was extremely moving. 

The Secret Annex was left in the exact same condition as it was when Otto Frank returned to Amsterdam. They make sure to tell you this as people always ask why the museum is empty of furniture. He wanted everyone who entered to feel the solace and emptiness that he felt when he returned to his former home. They also do not allow photographs. They want people to see the house with their eyes and not through a lens.

As you walk through these rooms you can only imagine how eight peopled lived together for over two years in this cramped and dark space. Forced to give up their freedoms and dreams and create a new life indoors based on fear and anxiety. As adults we do amazing things to protect our families. As children we can do amazing things to adapt to new circumstances.

At one point in the tour there is a video running of Otto Frank talking about his experience when he first read the diary. He spoke of Anne's sharp tongue and her active opinions during her short life, but it wasn't until he read her diary that he learned about her passionate mind and her dreams. He even says something like, "You never really know who your children really are." Luckily Izzy was standing right next to me and showed me she was listening when she nudged me and raised her eyebrows. 

While Otto might be very right with his statement, I was just happy to see that Izzy was still paying attention.

- Suzanne